Lake Accotink Park — Attraction in Springfield

When making plans to come here with my three kids on a Sunday morning in December, I was unaware the playground had been updated. It was a very pleasant surprise when we arrived. At ten am on a mild December day, there was only one other family there and for a good period of time we had the place to ourselves. When we left around noon, it was a popular spot for other families.

In regards to the new equipment, I was thrilled to see what had replaced the older playground. My kids are ages 4, 7, and 11. The swingset has two traditional swings, one toddler swing, and one of the newer toddler/parent type swings. There are some game type pieces, and musical equipment, plus a little house/store area. The bigger equipment contains a very large curly tunnel slide and one of those rope climbing structures. There is no smaller tot lot type slides or climbing structures. My older two loved the slide and my 4 year old tried it with them eventually, even though she had reservations. It is totally dark at the top since it is enclosed and fairly long. I'm a big fan of the rope climbing structures for a wider age range, not to mention parent visibility if there are any issues. My 11 year old didn't immediately comment about being bored and spent a lot of time climbing around before our friends joined us. I appreciate playgrounds that engage the older kids like that.

One thing I hadn't seen before was the use of light on a playground. There are a few tall pieces with translucent colored panels that filter the light through to the ground when the sun shines through them. One of them will spin if a child turns it. I appreciate this extra dimension to engage the kids on a new level.

Since it is winter the closer bathroom and water fountains are closed. The bathroom above the playground is still open, but the water fountains up there are also off.

Before we went home, we stopped on the beach to admire all the birds. Geese are common there, but there were also sea gulls and two other types of birds that seemed possibly swan like and perhaps cormorants. The area to the left of the dock is full of trash,...

Today in the morning, I went to Accontik Park on my bicycle as I have always done. When I got there, I went to the public restroom area to stretch, drink water and enter the restroom. Oh surprise when a lady who was doing activities with the children (camp director) tells me that I cannot be in that place, nor use the bathroom, nor surroundings. I ask her why? and she answers me: "are you questioning me? (of course, I need and want to know the reasons why she is expelling me from there, I have not done anything wrong) The truth is that I did not understand why this lady was angry. I told her that I needed to use the bathroom and she replied: "You are not using the bathroom, you are out here talking to people." (What? I mean, is she controlling what I do if I go into the bathroom, or talk to someone?) Well, I went into the bathroom and when I came out she just said: "ok" and kept saying that she was going to call I don't know who or where and he started talking on his cell phone or communication radio. The truth, that was an act that she did to get I was afraid that someone was going to come and thus get me to leave the place. I felt all of this as an act of racism and that she would believe that one does not know her rights in this country. By the way, there were no signs warning that you could not cross into this area because the children were in the shelter. What a bad time this morning. In other past days, the children have been in their activities and no one had told me anything about not using the bathroom or being in that area. I hope that those in charge of this beautiful park and the immediate boss of this lady take action on this matter and call this lady's attention. (I leave a photo of...

Nice trails. A bunch of old geocaches. Have not tried the boat rentals yet but it looks like fun. Playground near that. Benches. Didn't realize there was a carousel here (ruins in warm months). That would also be fun for little kids. Very dog-friendly trails. Leash law applies.

Parking is a bit of a walk from the boats and the trails, so be aware - although the path to the boat rentals is wide and smooth and paved. Very good informational and reasonably good directional signage.

Super important: The gates get closed and locked at the end of the day. Before dark, and dark is when the park closes. The time is posted by the entrance. If you don't get out, your car will be locked in. So either make note of the time and make sure you get back to your car and out of that gate before the time posted or park on the street outside of the gate and walk a little extra. They are not kidding about this. I parked on the street; when I got back a little after the posted closing time, the gate was indeed closed and locked.

Would think there are bathroom facilities somewhere near the boat area but didn't really look.

Gorgeous sunsets over the lake. Love watching and listening to the trains go by also.

One star off for all the garbage. So much garbage, mostly in the water, especially around the bench near the boat rental area. Gross. I hope the lake gets cleaned before peak season.

Will be back for more walks, random train watching, and...